From: JAKE and The Dry Branch Boys by William C. “Bill” Hicks

From: JAKE and The Dry Branch Boys by William C. “Bill” Hicks

From: JAKE and The Dry Branch Boys by William C. “Bill” Hicks

occupying it. In my earlier talk with Bill Williams, his recollection was that the house burned while a Mike

Culbert and his sons were living there. Wayne also says, “Granddaddy Hicks and all his children attended

the school.” Cousin Peggy Carroll Shoun and I have searched microfilm of 1940’s issues of the Elizabethton

Star newspaper and have found nothing so far. We will keep searching.

While searching for information to complete this story, I have come across so much information that I

thought would be lost with the passage of time. Information received verbally, printed, pictorial, as well as

civil documents accentuates a simpler time period in our family’s history, a time which exemplifies the best of

the pioneer spirit “from whence we came.” History can be as elusive as the hunted fox, but that only makes

finding it the more rewarding.

*NOTE ON Henry C. Nave:

Isaac Lincoln Nave married Martha A. Crowe (my Great great grand maternal aunt; child of Robert

Crow and Phoebe Williams). They married May 30, 1837 in Carter County, Tennessee. Martha was born

March 15, 1818 in Carter County and died May14, 1905 in Carter County. She is buried in Kitzmiller

Cemetery.

Isaac Lincoln Nave was a prosperous farmer and served in the Cherokee War (removal). He joined the

Confederate Army as a private, Co. K 61st Mounted Tennessee Infantry. He later served the Home Guard as

a lieutenant in the Civil War and was mortally wounded in a shootout on Indian Creek with a detachment

from Captain Dan Ellis’ Company. He is buried in the Crumley Cemetery in Hickory Tree, Sullivan County.

Also killed was his brother, Isaac Lincoln Nave. Some sources state the Nave’s were badly outnumbered and

pled surrender, but were refused. They fought to the end. An inscription on his tombstone bears the

inscription:” Killed by so-called Union Soldiers.”

Henry C. Nave was the builder of the Nave house/school which later became the Davis School after its

acquisition by Philip Davis.

References: History of the 13th

Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry by Scott & Angel

Teter Nave, East Tennessee Pioneer; His Ancestors and Descendants by Robert T. Nave

Site of the Davis School

From: JAKE and The Dry Branch Boys by William C. “Bill” Hicks

From: JAKE and The Dry Branch Boys by William C. “Bill” Hicks

From: JAKE and The Dry Branch Boys by William C. “Bill” Hicks

Murray butted the long pole against a large black gum tree that was growing between a crevice in the rocks. Calvin observed

intently. Murray pointed the pole at a chestnut tree—almost straight at Calvin. Hardly breathing for fear of detection, Calvin

hugged the rock. Murray followed the long pole to its tip and then dropped out of sight into one of the many crevices. Calvin

waited impatiently.

“Ain’t he ever goin’ to come out?, thought Calvin.

In a few minutes Murray climbed out, shouldered his pole, and climbed to the trail. Calvin was thankful he was well hidden.

He had to have that pole to find the silver. “Lessee—white oak past the branch”, he thought.

It seemed an hour to Calvin before Murray passed by him again, this time going toward Curley’s farm. In a few minutes

Calvin was scrambling back up the trail for the pole. Already shadows were long and twilight was going. When Calvin pointed

the long pole toward the chestnut tree the forest was gloomy and dark. Calvin had considerable difficulty finding the exact

crevice. After working himself down in the deep, twenty-foot crevice several times, he finally took a great deal of pain with the

pole and dropped down in the crevice directly below the tip of the pole. On the crevice bottom he felt blindly about with his

hands until he felt a rough sack. He moved the sack with his foot—it jingled—silver. He thought, “Wait’ll Murray finds out his

money is gone—cross me will he.”

Calvin sneered fiendishly. He had Murray Ellis crushed now. Calvin worked himself up the narrow crevice with the heavy

sack. Now it was as dark as the inside of a hollow Sourwood tree. Calvin laughed idiotically and screamed as loudly as he

could, “Murray Ellis—I got your money.”

The scream rebounded with all the feeling of hate and hideousness from among the dark trees. The odiousness and

abhorrence of the scream and the gloomy forest startled and frightened Calvin. He started to run across the Split Rocks . His

foot skidded on the long pole and the sack of silver flew out of his grasp, jingled, and then thudded softly. Calvin struggled to

keep from falling into a crevice. He was scared. He looked about—nothing but darkness and fear. He laughed when he thought

of the silver. He felt for the sack. He fumbled and fumbled, but couldn’t find the sack. He felt a crevice. Down thar I guess’, he

moaned. Calvin lowered himself carefully. The crevice narrowed so that he had little room to stand. The bottom of the crevice

was dark and dry leaves crackled under Calvin’s brogans. Calvin was feeling for the sack with his hands when he heard a rustle

and then—a sharp pain in his right hand. Screaming, Calvin scrambled out of the crevice, and in headlong flight stumbled among

the dark trees.

Somewhere in the mountains an old tired man wanders on leaf packed trails walking from farm to farm looking for work

suitable for his waning strength. Somewhere in the valley in a small family graveyard lies the man who crushed the spirit of

Murray Ellis. Somewhere, deep in the crevice of “Split Rock” a grinning Copperhead coils around its nest of silver.

“Murray’s Crevice”: This is the only crevice where Murray could not enter from ground level. He would have

needed a ladder or “pole” to gain entry.

From: JAKE and The Dry Branch Boys by William C. “Bill” Hicks

From: JAKE and The Dry Branch Boys by William C. “Bill” Hicks

From: JAKE and The Dry Branch Boys by William C. “Bill” Hicks

The man who slept in fodder shocks and barns and only took wages in silver passed away on January 6, 1938, aged 72 years, 2

months, and 22 days. Some say he was found in a fodder shock near the old County (Poor) Farm, while others say he was found

in Colbaugh’s barn. His burial record shows his funeral was at “Colbaugh’s house”. The record shows he had $9.60 on his

person. He is buried in the Colbaugh Cemetery, just off the intersection of Watauga Road and the Old Bristol Highway.

One cool evening last October, while standing under a tall hickory tree listening to squirrel cuttings fall to the ground, I

caught a ghostly glimpse of an old man and a little dog near the old Davis School site. They took a few steps up the trail leading

to the Split Rocks. The last rays of the setting sun glistened from an axe the old man was carrying and turning to face me, I knew

exactly what he was thinking; “Hixie, what took ye so long?” And I communicated; “Cousin Murray rest in peace. Your secret

is safe with me.”

Allen Farm Barn: According to the barn’s owner, Betty Allen, Murray occasionally slept in its loft. Once

according to Wayne Hicks, Murray awoke, peeked out from his covering of hay and finding his bed about to be

disturbed, warned: “Be careful with that pitchfork, boy, Old Murray’s in here!”